But what's the good of talking?" sighed
Orlov. "I only hear endless conversations, but no way out of my
position. It certainly is a case of 'being guilty without guilt.'
I don't claim to be a mushroom, but it seems I've got to go into
the basket. The last thing I've ever set out to be is a hero. I
never could endure Turgenev's novels; and now, all of a sudden, as
though to spite me, I've heroism forced upon me. I assure her on
my honour that I'm not a hero at all, I adduce irrefutable proofs
of the same, but she doesn't believe me. Why doesn't she believe
me? I suppose I really must have something of the appearance of a
hero."

"You go off on a tour of inspection in the provinces," said Kukushkin,
laughing.

"Yes, that's the only thing left for me."

A week after this conversation Orlov announced that he was again
ordered to attend the senator, and the same evening he went off
with his portmanteaus to Pekarsky.

XI

An old man of sixty, in a long fur coat reaching to the ground, and
a beaver cap, was standing at the door.

"Is Georgy Ivanitch at home?" he asked.

At first I thought it was one of the moneylenders, Gruzin's creditors,
who sometimes used to come to Orlov for small payments on account;
but when he came into the hall and flung open his coat, I saw the
thick brows and the characteristically compressed lips which I knew
so well from the photographs, and two rows of stars on the uniform.
I recognised him: it was Orlov's father, the distinguished statesman.

I answered that Georgy Ivanitch was not at home. The old man pursed
up his lips tightly and looked into space, reflecting, showing me
his dried-up, toothless profile.

"I'll leave a note," he said; "show me in."

He left his goloshes in the hall, and, without taking off his long,
heavy fur coat, went into the study. There he sat down before the
table, and, before taking up the pen, for three minutes he pondered,
shading his eyes with his hand as though from the sun--exactly
as his son did when he was out of humour. His face was sad, thoughtful,
with that look of resignation which I have only seen on the faces
of the old and religious. I stood behind him, gazed at his bald
head and at the hollow at the nape of his neck, and it was clear
as daylight to me that this weak old man was now in my power. There
was not a soul in the flat except my enemy and me. I had only to
use a little physical violence, then snatch his watch to disguise
the object o